Awkwafina Explains How To Turn Awkwardness Into a Superpower

Somewhere between awkward and über-cool sits Nora Lum, better known by her stage name, Awkwafina. She wears nerdy chemistry glasses yet projects a fierce brand of confidence. She makes comedic rap music but packs her songs with serious racial and feminist issues. She stars in a documentary (2016’s Bad Rap)about the struggle to gain credibility as an Asian-American artist and is simultaneously a Hollywood star.

All that’s to say that Lum defies categorization of pretty much any sort — she is herself, whether on camera or in a one-on-one conversation. She doesn’t really want to be the next “Asian-American role model.” Instead, she acknowledges her own “awkwardness,” as she calls it, and uses it to propel her entertainment career forward.

And since she doesn’t fit into any one category or stereotype, it follows that she’s an inspiration to not just other rappers and actors but people across many, many professions.

That goes for entrepreneurship, too. I recently had the chance to talk one-on-one with Lum, and she had plenty to say that’s worth applying to your own life. Here are five of my favorites:

1. Know yourself (and your limits).

Lum admits there’s more to her than Awkwafina’s awkward bravado and shameless confidence. Unlike her alter ego, she says “Nora is a hyper-over-thinker and incredibly neurotic.”

But after talking to Lum, it’s clear she’s not afraid to put herself out there, from sharing childhood anecdotes about fighting loneliness with imaginary friends to “feeling small in the nine to five world” when she still had a day job. She looks equally comfortable wearing her signature chemistry glasses and making comedic rap videos about vaginas.

But there are limits to how far she’ll go. She may rap about female genitalia, but she’s also very adamant about not crossing the line of being sexualized by Hollywood or the music industry: “You can’t sell Awkwafina to Bravo,” she says with a chuckle.

Knowing who you are, what you want, and what you’re willing to do (or not do) can give you a huge advantage in any career, because it allows you to stay focused and keeps people from pushing you around. “I don’t care if people think I look stupid,” says Lum. “I know what I’m good at on camera…you have to be visually confident. If you are, it shows. You have to do what fits for you, and you need to know what you can’t do because it doesn’t look right and feel right.”

And you don’t have to have an existential identity crisis to get to that place. Consider the image you project to coworkers, bosses and your industry, and ask yourself if it feels true.

Awkwafina pours sodaKris Merc

2. Being yourself is cool — even if you’re awkward.

Awkwafina’s look, glasses and all, embraces a culture of nerds and misfits. But the entire Awkwafina persona exudes the kind of confidence you don’t normally associate with nerds.

You’ve heard the old adage “confidence is cool.” That pretty much defines Awkwafina, and it’s what has helped her not only launch a rap career with viral hits like “NYC Bitche$” and “My Vag,” but also impress the casting crew of Ocean’s Eight and Crazy Rich Asians (the latter premieres later in 2018.) Her sense of humor also led to her collaboration with comedian Margaret Cho for the rap video “Green Tea.”

In terms of a larger-than-life, multifaceted personality, Awkwafina is a rare type. But that doesn’t mean someone with a slightly tamer version of awkwardness can’t reach the same level of confidence—and inspire others to do the same. “[You] have to do that thing that sets you apart,” she says, adding that “in doing that, you’ll also encourage younger people as well.”

3. Stop trying to impress everyone.

Lum makes it clear that she isn’t interested in trying to make everyone an Awkwafina fan. “You either like her or you don’t. I don’t ever want to try to force Awkwafina on people who don’t like her.”

The song “My Vag” is a case in point. A response to Mickey Avalon’s 2006 song “My Dick,” Awkwafina’s song went viral (the video currently has over 2 million views on YouTube). But not everyone embraced this “loud and proud” song about female genitalia, and she’s okay with that. Some feminists, in particular, took exception to the poignant-yet-bawdy raps.

She also cautions against trying to mimic popular trends that don’t feel natural. In her case, she points to rappers whose music hasn’t evolved because it was only trendy for one time and place. The same could be true of sales, marketing, writing, and numerous other professions. Thanks to Silicon Valley, we’re fed images on a daily basis of what it “means” to be a tech startup in 2018. But does that image really fit with your business or personality? And will it stand the test of time?

If the answer is “no,” that may not be a bad thing—so long as you work to understand where you fit instead.

4. Stick to a routine, regardless of your job or personality.

Time management is critical for anyone who is self-employed, whether you’re an entrepreneur, freelancer or an artist.

While it’s sometimes difficult for creatives to have a standard routine, you can’t be successful if you don’t get things done. “I don’t want to waste the opportunities I have,” explains Lum. While she says that she’s “the last person to take a kickboxing class,” she stresses the importance of having a regular sleep schedule and eating right. “Sometimes you have to reach the bottom to realize this, but it’s so important.”

Keep in mind that your routine doesn’t have to conform to some standard any more than your personality does. So long as you’re productive and staying healthy, the rest is simply details.

5. Use shamelessness as a superpower.

Lum cites Margaret Cho as one of her main childhood idols, thanks to the former’s shamelessness and sense of humor. “She was incredibly important to my upbringing because she was the one guiding light that said, ‘It is possible. I did it. It’s okay [to not fit in]; I don’t care,’” explains Lum.

Lum defines shamelessness as “being all in on what you believe in and what speaks to you.” She attributes part of her shamelessness to her sense of humor and tells me that both give her the confidence to get on stage and perform.

She hopes that this will also encourage other young people to be brave enough to push the limits. She believes shamelessness is especially important for women because it shows courage.

These days, Lum is excited to start focusing on her music again. She’s scheduled to release her newest single, “Pockiez,” on June 1, 2018. Meanwhile, Crazy Rich Asians, based on a novel of the same name, is slated for release in August 2018, and the comedy-drama film Dude drops on Netflix on April 20. And given her multifaceted talents and personality, there’s no telling where she’ll land next.

Heather R. Morgan is a software entrepreneur and former economist. An expert in email marketing and sales prospecting, she has pioneered strategies that have allowed over 700 companies to optimize their email campaigns' response rates, in many cases tripling their response r...